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Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment is no stranger to the games industry. Getting noticed enough to win two awards at a Russian Game Developer’s Conference (or KRI) and also licensing their own game engine Dagor Engine 3.0 to other developers, Gaijin’s left quite a mark in its home town. Globally speaking though, you’d be hard-pressed to remember playing anything these guys have ever worked on. Which is okay, because publisher SouthPeak Interactive, along with the help of TopWare Interactive, will be bringing one of Gaijin’s works over to other language-speaking countries and that too on multiple platforms. And what better way to get someone’s attention by having a gunblade-toting Anime hotty around? We talk to Anton Yudintsev, President and CEO of Gaijin Entertainment, about their swank-looking, action hack-and-slash baby - X-BLADES.
How long has X-Blades been in development?
The first conceptual sketches were done about two years ago - but the really intensive work began roughly one year ago.
X-Blades runs on the in-house developed Dagor Engine, correct? Putting graphics aside, what sort of role will the engine have in gameplay and features?
For development, we use our own engine called Dagor 3.0. Of course we use technical features like Parallax Mapping, HDR-Rendering and indirect lighting to obtain the best possible display. To convey the dynamics during gameplay, we also use Motion Blur, seamless animation and lots of particle effects – and that’s only a fraction of our engine feature list.
Now coming back to graphics, can we expect a bazillion baddies on-screen at once?
Enemies will attack the heroine - sometimes fewer enemies, sometimes more - it depends on the region she’s in at the time. In the outside area, she could be attacked by several dozen entities which use ground and air approaches. In some levels there are “Monster Generators” which keep producing monsters until the player has destroyed them all. So the graphics engine really has its hands full!
Besides the heavy Anime influence, what other kind of inspirations acted upon the game’s overall look and feel? Were any Japanese-developed titles used as a reference to, say, X-Blade’s? combat system (for example – Capcom’s Devil May Cry and Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden)?
We didn’t have any particular genre or game as a role model. Of course we looked at many hack-and-slash games as well as other action titles - but it was important to us to us that we create a new and unique player experience. To do that, you have to have good ideas yourself - not orient yourself on what the competition’s turning out. I believe that our mix of opulent graphics in Anime style, one very sexy heroine and a powerful combat system with many different combo options hits the right note for today’s gamers.
We know that the game is heavily action-based, but there are also RPG elements incorporated in there as well. Can we expect lots of puzzles and exploration, if any? Will we be seeing Ayumi doing some platforming?
Various artifacts are hidden in the levels - some in alcoves, others in vessels that have to be broken before they yield up their secrets. When the player has collected enough individual artifacts, he’ll get extra points, power-ups or special spells. Sometimes specific jump combinations must be found to reach special platforms where the artifacts are - so a few attempts will be needed before players can attain their objectives.
Speaking of Ayumi, does she have a sister? Preferably a younger sister who is also a playable character?
No, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you on that one! Ayumi doesn’t have a sister… not right now anyway… she might have one at some point in the future, but at the moment she’s mostly on her own during her adventures - I use ‘mostly’ because she’s sometimes helped by the young fighter Jay. We’re currently thinking hard about doing something with Multiplayer - and another female character would be right for that – like a sister, niece, aunt, stepsister, girlfriend… who knows?
Will there be any sort of multiplayer component integrated? Maybe a time attack mode between two friends? Co-op, perhaps?
We’re very much aware of the increasing importance attached to Multiplayer features throughout all genres - and that’s why we’re giving so much creative thought to expanding “X-Blades” in this direction. There are definitely many different opportunities in that respect, thanks to the game characters and arena-like settings already in the game. However, I can’t tell you any more about that right now, sorry.
X-Blades boasts a few cinematic presentation-elements, such as Bullet Time and Motion-Blur. Will these be similar to how Quick-Time Events are used in God of War, or are these features not entirely applicable to how the game itself will play?
Most of these elements are used when the player uses spells that help Ayumi to move faster or suddenly disappear from a danger zone using a teleportation spell, for instance. Effects like Bullet Time are used during a spell that helps Ayumi to throw an opponent high in the air, jump up after her and execute a lightning-fast sword attack on the defenseless enemy.
There are certain hack-and-slash players, used to the Devil May Cry and Onimusha style of games, who might try to get through X-Blades with just their Gun Blades. Is that even possible or do you want players to switch and use as many magic skills as possible in combination with the blades to overcome their enemies?
Anyone who wants it really tough can of course try to get through the game with only the Gunblades - it is theoretically possible. However, the later-stage gameplay is designed for calling up powerful spells to confront Boss opponents. And if there are some who still want to use just the Gunblades, they can really pimp them up during the game. The projectiles and various sword attacks can be made much more effective through various power-ups.
With X-Blades sporting different endings, does the ending we get depend on our actions and the spells we use throughout the game? If yes, is it possible for the player to walk down a neutral path by being both good and evil?
No, that would make a mockery of the intention behind different endings… you’re either good or bad - there will be no special ending for undecided players.
With bosses and boss battles being the most memorable parts of hack-and-slash games, how have you gone about designing the bosses for X-Blades?
Our creative department has really gone to town on them… the player will have opponents that include fire-belching monster dragonflies, gigantic robots that hurl lightning bolts and spiders as big as a house.
Since you mentioned that there would be multiple enemies on-screen, will Ayumi be attacked by multiple classes of enemies, for example, smaller enemies distracting you from more powerful ones or bosses or will boss encounters be more of a face-to-face duel?
Most Boss opponents are flanked by hordes of their subjects. In other words, the player must first get these creatures out of the way before he can tackle the Boss opponent. He can simply kill the Boss’s minders… or he could immobilize all the “small opponents” with a frost spell, for example and attack the Boss directly. But a word of warning - frost doesn’t last forever!
Since a lot of countries around the world do not get a lot of non-AAA titles quite readily, is the team considering a release on Steam to reach more gamers worldwide?
Who says X-Blades won’t be an “AAA” title? We’ll be pulling out all the stops to achieve just that - and the first positive previews have confirmed our belief in our work. That apart, we would of course use online sales as well. As far as exactly which platforms we will use, I can’t tell you that at this point in time.
With X-Blades being in development for the PC, the PS3 and the Xbox 360, will all the three versions be identical? Will the PC version be the best in eye-candy and multiplayer features?
By and large, all these versions are identical - however we will create something special for each platform - an exclusive touch, so to speak… in the multiplayer segment, consoles don’t have to hide their light behind the PC’s any more - every player will be happy at what he gets in that respect.
Achievements are a big part of any Xbox 360 title. How are you going about making the Xbox 360 achievements fun for players?
Can’t tell you much about that, I’m afraid. All I can say is that we will be putting in a lot of effort and not only for the standard program aspects - we’ll be looking towards really creative ideas on how to get points!
How difficult or easy is the console game certification process for studios such as yours, who don’t get folded under the big banners such as EA or Ubisoft and are based out of the United States?
Our cooperation with our publisher, ZUXXEZ Entertainment, who in turn cooperates with SouthPeak Interactive in the States gives us good standing - and that eases our route through the certification process.
The ability to create custom content is a huge point in favor of most PC titles. Are there any plans for including support for fan-made content in the game? If not, why not? If yes, do you see this being extended to the console versions, the PS3 in particular?
After release, we can easily visualize the possibility of letting fans develop further content, like maps, for example - but exactly what content and for which platform hasn’t yet been decided.
When exactly can we can get to play the game, and are there any plans to release a demo in the near future?
The game should be in the stores this fall. We have no plans to release a demo in the medium-term.
Special thanks to Jörg Schindler from ZUXXEZ Entertainment in allowing us to conduct this interview. And a big awesome hug to our editor Krishnan Rajagopal for helping with questions!
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